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Amidst the drama of the worst seismic catastrophe in Japan’s recorded history, the Japanese government and its nuclear industry have been struggling to prevent a power reactor core melt accident similar to that which occurred at Three Mile Island in the United States three decades ago.

There is widespread concern both inside Ukraine and in the international community about the country’s course as fears grow that Viktor Yanukovych’s policies are rolling back Ukraine’s political freedoms.

In spite of the massive popular protests that have swept away two Arab strongmen and shaken half a dozen monarchies and republics, the Arab world has yet to witness any fundamental change in ruling elites and even less in the nature of governance.

While the EU and the United States enacted strong repercussions for the violent crackdowns following Belarus' December presidential elections, long-term stability will require moving beyond the current political stalemate.

The current protests in Bahrain result from longstanding political tensions that have been rising dangerously in the country for at least the last six months and were building for several years before that.

While the removal from power of Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak were historic moments for the entire Arab world, the old regimes in Tunisia and Egypt are still fighting to retain as much power and control as they can.

The recent collapse of the coalition government in Lebanon and the anticipated announcement of indictments from the U.N. tribunal have caused political upheaval and could lead to a crisis that might engulf the country and the region.

While the departure of President Ben Ali does not necessarily signal a democratic transition, the international community can play a role in creating space for a genuine democracy to take root in Tunisia.

The presidential elections in Belarus were marred by serious irregularities in the voting process, which led to violence on the streets of Minsk. The key question at this point is why, despite moderate improvements over previous elections, things went wrong.

Alexander Lukashenko may have won a fourth term as president of Belarus, but he now faces both an opposition capable of mass mobilization and international partners in Europe and Russia that are growing tired of paying to maintain his status quo.

The revival of the European debt crisis will force EU leaders to choose between entering into a deeper fiscal and economic union or confronting sovereign defaults and the possible break-up of the euro area.